Genetics and Aerobic Exercise to Slow Parkinson's Disease (GEARS) Trial
Jay Alberts
Summary
The proposed multi-site, Genetics and Aerobic Exercise to Slow PD (GEARS) Trial will, for the first time, determine the interplay between genetics and exercise in altering PD progression. In sum, 200 PD patients will be recruited from the Cleveland and Salt Lake City metro areas to participate in the Pedaling for Parkinson's (PFP) community-based exercise program. Participants will exercise at community-based sites 3x/week for 12 months. All participants will undergo genotyping using an array that includes the genome backbone and common risk variants associated to increase risk for multiple neurological disorders including PD.
Description
A long-standing unmet need in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the identification of a disease-modifying intervention (e.g. pharmaceutical, surgical or behavioral). A growing body of evidence indicates that high-intensity aerobic exercise, when delivered in a highly supervised, well-controlled laboratory setting, improves PD symptomology. Two fundamental gaps remain related to the widespread utilization of exercise to slow PD: 1) are community-based exercise programs effective in altering disease progression and 2) what is the role of genetics in modulating the disease altering eff…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Adult with a diagnosis of PD by a physician or physician extender 2. Hoehn and Yahr stage I-III 3. Demonstrate the ability to safely mount and dismount a stationary cycle 4. Reliable transportation to the community exercise facility 5. Smartphone device for activity data monitoring 6. On a stable dose of anti-parkinsonian medication Exclusion Criteria: 1. Participation in disease modifying PD-related clinical trial or study 2. Diagnosis of dementia or any neurocognitive impairment that compromises one's ability to provide informed consent. 3. Implanted deep brain stim…
Interventions
- OtherHigh intensity stationary cycling
All community based exercise sessions are: 3x/week for 40 min, which includes a 5-min warm up \& cool down and a 30-minute main exercise set. Exercise parameters will be set by a neurologically trained physical therapist and will be progressed over time with the ultimate goal of the individual reaching moderate-vigorous exercise. Moderate-vigorous exercise for this project is defined as a cadence of 75+ rpms and a target HR of 60-80% of their age-predicted max
Location
- The Cleveland ClinicCleveland, Ohio